Immigration reform returns to fore

Top Republicans are signaling for the first time in five years that the party will get serious about immigration reform.

Immigration’s sudden rise to the top of Washington’s to-do list after years on the legislative back burner spotlights how worried Republicans are about Latinos abandoning their party. The renewed interest in tackling the issue, if sustained, would represent a fundamental shift for Republicans, who allowed conservative firebrands to set the agenda on immigration after several failed attempts to pass a bill during the Bush administration.

Story Continued Below

The chances of enacting a comprehensive overhaul remain low, given deep-rooted opposition in GOP ranks to creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But the fact that such a cross section of Republicans are demanding a break from the recent past suggests the issue could go further than anyone would have predicted even a few months ago.

It’s another sign of Republicans’ public reckoning over their party’s need to adjust to changing demographics. Latinos helped lift President Barack Obama to victory on Tuesday with a record Hispanic turnout and a massive margin for the Democratic incumbent.

“It’s clear to me, if Republicans are going to have the opportunity to be in the majority, we clearly have to determine how we deal with minority and Latino voters,” said Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, who is running for the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairmanship. “In some fashion, the way we have dealt with immigration gives us a black eye. And we need to figure out how to talk about issues and pursue policies that matter to Latino, Hispanic voters.”

Republicans aren’t the only ones under pressure. Latino leaders said Wednesday that they expect Obama to deliver on a promise that he failed to fulfill in his first term.

“The Latino giant is wide awake, cranky and taking names,” said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union and a leader of Latino mobilization in battleground states.

Obama told the Des Moines Register editorial board last month that he was confident immigration reform would get done next year. He mused at the time that Republicans, after years of Latino alienation, would need to repair their relationship with one of the fastest-growing demographic groups.

Obama is expected to pursue a broad proposal early next year, Democratic officials said Wednesday.

The president had promised to introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill during his first year in office but didn’t follow through because, he said, Republican support never materialized. Facing pressure from the Latino community to show progress on the issue, Obama took executive action last summer to allow certain young immigrants to stay in the country.